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Stoppage time misery brings another defeat - 1/12/07

United's losing streak reached a far from magnificent seven this afternoon, as they slid to another defeat thanks to a deflected goal two minutes into stoppage time away to Harrow Borough. United showed signs of improvement after last weekend's dismal display at Boreham Wood, but were too often wasteful in front of goal, with new signing Frankie Sawyer the main culprit. The home side did hit the woodwork in the early stages, and did so again in a vastly improved second half display, which left United hanging on grimly for a point near the end, only to be cruelly denied at the last.

Having promised changes in the wake of the 3-0 reverse a week ago, manager Nigel Kane was true to his word, making four alterations to his starting eleven. Frankie started in place of Sam Adams in attack, the latter having been suffering with a neck injury in the week, while other recent arrivals, Ryan Andrews and Antonio Gonnella, started in place of the unavailable Danny Spice and the omitted Russell Eldridge respectively. Dan Williams was fit again to oust Kevin Rose from the defence, with United reverting to a 4-4-2 formation, while Nathan Russell and Jani Seitsonen were included amongst the substitutes at the expense of Danny Ellis and Tom Poole, and only injury denied Matt Maclean a well deserved return to First Team colours. Although United's wretched form had seen them sink down the league table, they still went into the game a point clear of a Harrow side who had themselves lost their last four Ryman Premier fixtures. That run had coincided with the departure of leading scorer Elliot Onochie, with young Albert Adomah, the eventual matchwinner, now filling the void. For experience, the home side were able to call upon former Torquay and Yeovil defender Nick Burton at the back, and skipper Wayne Walters, now in his seventh season at Earlsmead, playing alongside him.

United made an excellent start to the game and missed a glorious chance to open the scoring within the first couple of minutes, when the Olorunda brothers combined well to set up Frankie in the area, but he drilled his shot wide, despite being well placed. Lee Carey then created another chance for Frankie with a great cross in from the left, but Burton brushed him off the ball with apparent ease and the opportunity was lost. Harrow worked their way into the contest around the ten minute mark, with Rhys conceding a free kick just outside the area for a foul on Byron Harrison, which in turn led to the home side's first corner of the game, and a fiercely struck shot from Bobby Highton which was well blocked by Tim. A couple of minutes later, Harrow went closer still, as Charlie Hill rose unchallenged to head a free kick against Lee Worgan's right hand post, while United's keeper was called upon to make his first save of the encounter to comfortably gather Robin Shroot's tame effort in the nineteenth minute. Lee Carey and Antonio continued to provide some decent service down the flanks, with Ade firing just wide in the twenty-fifth minute, but the home side were also effective from wide positions, especially down their left, where Ryan was enduring a tough debut. Adomah's poorly directed effort was as close as they came to a goal in the closing stages of the half though, with Ade just unable to connect with Lee's centre at the other end, as the interval arrived without a goal, but with United looking marginally the more likely to produce one.

The heavens opened before the restart, and the second kicked off in awful conditions, with Harrow suddenly raising their game and immediately forcing United onto the back foot. Adomah's pace was had caused United a number of problems before the break and continued to do so in the second half, with Rhys Whyborne doing well to block one particular effort, while Shroot remained a threat down the Harrow left, winning a corner from which the unmarked Burton headed wastefully wide of the target. Antonio joined Rhys in the referee's notebook, before being replaced by Nathan in a tactical switch that saw Scott Kirkwood move onto the right hand side and the young defender play in the centre of midfield alongside Tim. With his first touch, Nathan won a header midway inside the Harrow half and sent Frankie through on goal, but home keeper Gary Ross made his first vital contribution of the match, saving well with his legs. Just past the hour mark, Ross denied Frankie again, palming his shot away for a corner after Nathan had headed on Scott's cross, but as the contest entered its final quarter, the home side stepped up a gear once again, seldom allowing United out of their own half for long periods. Lee Worgan came to United's rescue with a couple of fine saves to twice prevent Shroot from firing Harrow in front, while the same player should have done better from an Adomah cross then head over the bar with only Lee to beat. With a quarter of an hour remaining, United did fashion their last good chance of the game, when Ryan's cross picked out Ade around the penalty spot, but his header sailed wide of Ross' near post, and United were left to defend in numbers for the final fifteen minutes, as Harrow pressed hard for a late winner. The lively Shroot again went close to scoring with a powerful shot from a corner, which Lee Carey headed off the line, and it started to look as if United would hold out until those frantic final few minutes. United survived another scare in the last minute of the ninety, when Jamie Lawrence's left wing free kick found its way through a crowded penalty area and rebounded to safety off the far post, but United's luck finally ran out two minutes into added time, when Adomah attempted a speculative shot from twenty yards out, which Sam tried to charge down, but succeeded only in sending the ball spinning over the stranded Lee Worgan and into the back of the net.

This latest defeat saw United drop further down the league table and they now fill one of the Premier Division's four relegation places, having been as high as sixth when their current winless run in the league began with a seemingly excellent draw at second placed Hendon barely five weeks ago. Such is the closely fought nature of the table at present though, that United are potentially one win away from returning to the top half, but that victory has become increasingly hard to come by of late, and next weekend's home meeting with Heybridge really has the feel of a must-win clash to it, if United are to get their campaign back on track.

Match facts	Efforts on target	Efforts off target	Free kicks conceded	Corners won	Offsides against
Harrow Borough	5	13	13	9	1
Hastings United	5	8	15	3	3

Harrow Borough (4-4-2)							Hastings United (4-4-2)
1 Gary Ross							1 Lee Worgan
2 Wayne Walters (c)							2 Ryan Andrews
3 Gary Meakin							3 Jimmy Elford (c)
4 Danny Leech							4 Rhys Whyborne
5 Nick Burton							5 Dan Williams
6 Bobby Highton							6 Scott Kirkwood
7 Robin Shroot							7 Antonio Gonnella
8 Jamie Lawrence							8 Tim Olorunda
9 Charlie Hill							9 Ade Olorunda
10 Byron Harrison							10 Frankie Sawyer
11 Albert Adomah							11 Lee Carey
Substitutes
12 Daniel McGonigle (for Hill 76)							12 Nathan Russell (for Gonnella 59)
14 Daniel Nielsen							14 Russell Eldridge
15 Jonathan Constant (for Harrison 64)							15 Kevin Rose
16 Ricardo Josephs							16 Sam Adams (for Kirkwood 76)
GK Matthew Mann							GK Jani Seitsonen

Attendance 132

Referee Mr I Crouch

Assistants Messrs G Evans & P Rees